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I enjoy most John Wayne films, notably his Westerns, and a long time ago read several books about him, but Wake of the Red Watch was all but unknown to me. (British TV frequently screens his better-known films butI can't recall "Wake" being shown before.)

It wasn't at all bad, if one overlooks some of the clichés and limited production values, and Wayne portrays a character more complex and less sympathetic than in any other of his films, even Red River and The Searchers.

Some of the plot twists were a bit hard to follow, and I'm still not sure about the relationship between Ralls and Sidneye - it seemed to mellow towards the end.

Before watching the film I hadn't bothered to note its date and, going on Wayne's youthful appearance and the unsophisticated aspects of filming and plotting, I guessed it was early 1940s. I was a little surprised to see that it was 1948, just as Wayne was about to film some of his greatest Westerns.

As other viewers have commented, I personally viewed this film when I only paid 35 cents for admission and it was well worth it. John Wayne was my idol and just the thought of going down under the water was extremely unimaginable and fighting all the horrible creatures we just read or heard about was never viewed on a big screen. (Radio was our only big entertainment and we had to use our IMAGINATION!) In 1948 the country had just gotten over WW II and Hollywood did not have all the special effects it has in 2000! I have viewed this film over and over again and still remember how it kept me on the edge of my seat. All future generations will do the very same thing and admire how much the film industry has advanced in their technology. This is a great John Wayne Classic and to find fault with it is uncalled for.

This is kind of out-of-way stuff for the duke, closest he got to again in "Reap the wild wind". It is basically a Wuthering Heights of the Southern Seas, with a very young and slim Wayne being pulled into a story of intrigue and lost love by the most beautiful Gail Russell. Great pity that her early death prevented her from rising to true stardom, but she truly holds her own next to the Duke in this strange, patchwork story of a true love. If you can hold of it, view it and enjoy it. And it once again convinces me, that John Wayne could pull off almost everything convincingly, giving tribute to him being a real quality actor after all.

After John Wayne starred in Cecil B. DeMille's answer to "Gone With the Wind," an epic called "Reap the Wild Wind," the Duke wanted to make a similar themed film but with more complex characters. John Wayne made "Wake of the Red Witch," a terrific follow-up that remakes elements of the original film but creates completely new situations and characters, and explores the dark side of people. Both films open with John Wayne as a 19th Century sea captain who's ship is scuttled for the rich cargo. In both films John Wayne fights a big octopus and is involved in a love triangle with a beautiful woman and his boss. The period, style, and sets are similar but there are differences in story. DeMille's story was set in the south and revolved around a southern belle who played with the affections of two men. The characters were somewhat one-dimensional (John Wayne the unquestionable good guy, Ray Milland the unquestionable rich playboy, Paulette Goddard the unquestionable flirt). "Wake of the Red Witch," set in the South Pacific, is much more complex. John Wayne's character is sometimes cruel and dishonest. He is driven by drunken rages to beat men and his performance is perhaps the best in his career. As the camera closes in on his face there is true madness in his eyes and the strength and anger he possesses is truly frightening. In one scene where he has just punched out his crew and jumped ship, running violently through the jungle toward the woman he loves (Gail Russell), he is a monster. The entire story is told by a member of John Wayne's crew (Gig Young) and we are first introduced to John Wayne as a heartless and corrupt captain. As the story unfolds we see a much more complex mystery involving the captain's rich nemesis who respects the captain as a hero and worthy opponent and has driven John Wayne to madness. The end plays out as a haunting romance as the love between the captain and the woman he adores (and who has married his enemy) conquers all amongst all the tragedy. I would suggest you see Cecil B' DeMille's "Reap the Wild Wind" first as it is much less satisfying and might be disappointing compared to the complexity of "Wake of the Red Witch," though both films are terrific entertainment and showcase John Wayne at his non-western best. Note: In the film, The Red Witch (a sailing ship) is owned by a company called Batjac, a name the Duke would use as the name of his own film company.

Log before "The Deep" there was "Wake of the Red Witch" A fury-filled adventure and a passionate love story with Gail Russell who says ...I can't be bought."

It is the 1860s in the South Pacific, Capt. Ralls (John Wayne,) is the skipper of the ship, Red Witch.

John pits himself up against a ruthless Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneyeand (Luther Adler), a giant (flimsy) octopus and (sturdy) Gail Russell to recover some pearls, even gold. And someone of course, is killed in the movie.

Be prepared for flash-backs, lots of them and a possible flash forward.

You get an early view of Gig Young as Sam Rosen who can be seen again in "Ask Any Girl" (1959).

All in all, it is a very watchable movie and you may be surprised that you are caught up in the story.

Half of a good movie. John Wayne plays a sea captain set adrift on the waters after a falling out with natives on an island in the East Indies; he's soon picked up by another ship but butts heads (in a gentlemanly fashion) with that captain, a well-respected shipping magnate, especially after they return to the native island and both men fall in love with a beautiful white girl. Mostly told (rather unnecessarily) in flashback, there are two treasure dives--the first for pearls and then for gold--yet by the time we get around to the second pillage, all the wind has gone out of this movie's sails. At a certain point passed the first hour, the narrative flashes seven years ahead into the future--and then proceeds for more time!--leaving viewers far behind. Gail Russell is indeed lovely as the woman who comes between the two ego-fed men, but her role turns the film from a sea-faring adventure story into a star-crossed, doomed-lovers romance, and the results are all wet. The Duke is fun wrestling with an octopus, saving a native boy from the piercing clamp of a giant clam, or mouthing off to whomever is in charge; he's at his most robust and handsome here, but his performance doesn't bolster the wayward plotting and his final scene is a real let-down. ** from ****

In this maritime melodrama from Republic Pictures and director Edward Ludwig, a new ship's officer Sam Rosen (Gig Young) finds himself stuck in the middle of a complicated revenge plot by grim ship's captain Ralls (John Wayne) and shipping magnate Sidneye (Luther Adler). As Rosen slowly learns of the two men's past, he finds himself just as entangled in their agendas as they are.

This was another of Republic's attempts at prestige filmmaking, made as Wayne's stardom was reaching its full heights. I have to say that Wayne's performance is pretty darn good, showing a range of emotion and depth of character. He seemed to have a real rapport with co-star Gail Russell, judging by this and Angel and the Badman. Much of the movie is rather hokey, though, and dragged out. Wayne gets to wrestle an octopus and go deep-sea diving, so any flashbacks to Reap the Wild Wind are understandable. Speaking of the octopus, this is the same prop that was later filched by the crew of director Ed Wood for use in his immortal classic Bride of the Monster. This movie must have been a special one for Wayne, as he named his production company Batjac after the shipping firm in the film.

Hired "Red Witch" skipper John Wayne (as Captain Ralls) vies with financier boss Luther Adler (as Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye) for not only the love of beautiful Gail Russell (as Angelique), but also five million dollars in gold bullion. Their tale is told in "flashback" style, by fellow traveler Gig Young (as Sam Rosen).

The story might be described as a "Heart of Darkness" attempt to adapt Wayne's "Reap the Wild Wind" into Laurence Olivier's "Wuthering Heights". The flashbacks do not really help build dramatic tension; rather, they make the story more confusing. Despite the presentation, the characters emerge as somewhat interesting, especially good is Mr. Adler's portrayal. There is some ambitious underwater camera-work, which fails, due to, for example, an unremarkable editing in of Wayne close-ups.

Everyone tries awfully hard to make "Wake of the Red Witch" hunt, but it doesn't.

**** Wake of the Red Witch (12/30/48) Edward Ludwig ~ John Wayne, Gail Russell, Luther Adler, Gig Young

An American romantic adventure; A story set in the East Indies from 1875 about an ongoing bitter rivalry between two men of the sea: the owner of the Dutch shipping company Batjak Limited and the captain of one of its ships. Based on the best-selling novel of its day, this is a film that is creditable for its dynamic performance by John Wayne as the hard-drinking, unbalanced ship captain driven by love and hatred. Gail Russell plays her part delicately as the love interest, soft but provocative. Luther Adler gives a strong performance as the foil, who is elaborate and tricky. The production values are satisfactory, with crisp photography of the locations and scenes of underwater diving, but some scenes have lo-fi special effects. The picaresque story, while heart-rending and haunting, rambles along its long narrative time and may hinder a viewer's full immersion in the interest and suspense.

When sea captain John Wayne crashes and sinks his own ship, no one knows why. His first mate, Gig Young, is a loyal friend and follows him to his next job: working on a little fishing boat. It turns out Duke has had a master plan in mind for years, and all his mistakes have really been steps along the path. Cue the flashbacks.

It might sound a little boring to you, but Wake of the Red Witch is very exciting. A tense period piece with grudges, lost loves, and revenge schemes is always interesting to me, and the setting of a wild and stormy sea makes it all the more captivating. Director Edward Ludwig had his hands full and delivered wonderfully. The special effects and underwater scenes will make audiences wonder how it was filmed without technology. I've seen this movie a couple of times, and it still awes me. If you're looking for a cross between The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Down to the Sea in Ships, and Reap the Wild Wind, you've found it.

I have to say that for all those other reviewers who compared Wake of the Red Witch to Wuthering Heights I am grateful. I'd never really thought of it that way, but it is definitely true.

The Duke is hardly the classically trained actor that Laurence Olivier is, but as I've remarked in other reviews his was one of the great faces for movie closeups. His expressions are worth ten pages of dialog. And he is probably in his most romantic role as Captain Ralls of the Red Witch.

Of course this film is most compared to Reap the Wild Wind where also for romantic reasons, John Wayne piled a ship on the reefs and later went after the salvage. But though the other film is a big budget product from one of the premier studios, Wake of the Red Witch is a much better story.

The story is seen through the eyes of Gig Young as Wayne's first mate. Wayne sinks the Red Witch because his employer, the malevolent Luther Adler has taken the lovely Gail Russell from him, through the connivance of her father Henry Daniell.

Wayne gets not one, but three underwater scenes unlike in Reap the Wild Wind. He rescues young Fernando Alvarado from a giant claim, kills a giant octopus for native pearls and searches for gold bullion on the sunken Red Witch. All the sequences are nicely done.

The ending, some elements of Wuthering Heights are here. But I think it has more of a Maytime flavor to it.

I agree with others who liked this 1948 Republic gem of a film. And, although I could see where the story seemed disjointed at times, I think that worked in the film's favor. After all, this is a story of intrigue. Should not the plot have some mystery and inexplicable parts to it? I'm probably not the only movie reviewer here who did not read the book the film is based on. Nor had I ever heard of the book or its author, Garland Roark. I did look him up and found that he wrote a number of seafaring adventures as well as Westerns.

So, I thought the plot developed very nicely with the right amount of intrigue mixed in with some action, sea scenes, and romance. We gradually discover the background of the animosity between John Wayne and his nemesis, played quite ably by Luther Adler. The acting was very good all around, with Adler and "Duke" having the more dramatic and expressive parts.

I enjoyed John Wayne in most of the films he did outside his usual genres of Westerns and War flicks. Besides the good acting and plot, "Wake of the Red Witch" had some good cinematography with sea and sailing shots, and very good underwater action. All of this adds up to a very good and entertaining film.

One of John Wayne's more divisive and different films from the 1940s. He plays a semi-villainous sea captain out to settle a score with a shipping tycoon. It's one of Duke's darker roles and as such it allows him to flex his acting muscles a bit. He does well in the role but, ultimately, it's not a good picture. What does it in is the downbeat story and muddled characterization. Luther Adler plays the guy Duke is seeking revenge against. I don't even know if he's the villain or Duke is, which is one of the more baffling parts of the film as both are shown to be bad guys in different ways. Gail Russell plays the woman at the heart of their troubles. I would say she was underutilized but her performance isn't the best so perhaps less was better in this case. Paul Fix and a mustachioed Gig Young play Duke's friends. Most people who check this out are going to dislike it, I think. But it is fascinating in a way, especially for someone who has seen most of John Wayne's work. Speaking of which, this bears a few similarities to another Wayne film about love triangles and men at sea - Reap the Wild Wind.

John Wayne is veteran skipper "Capt. Ralls" who discovers that his employer has pinched his girlfriend - "Angelique" (Gail Russell) so with revenge in mind, he runs his ship - laden with $5m in gold bullion - aground at a secret location and is soon on the run from his erstwhile boss who knows the scuttling was deliberate and who wants his loot back! What ensues now are series of entertaining escapades as Duke wrestles all sorts of giant sea monsters; tries out pearl fishing; saves his best pal and tries to get his gal back - all as well as salvaging his plunder and staying one step ahead of the scheming "Sidneye" (Luther Adler). It's a well constructed, fairly action-packed film this - and it gives the star much more chance to demonstrate a little more depth to his character, with a script and pace that gives the story quite a compelling nature. Adler is great as the sleazy magnate, and the direction creatively uses the sweaty and moist environment to good effect - you almost expect Orson Welles to appear somewhere. It doesn't always work - there are some flatter moments especially in the third quarter of the film, but it all picks up well and Russell is on really good form engendering some charming and lively chemistry with both of her gentleman friends. I was a little underwhelmed by the conclusion, but all told this is certainly at the top end of any of their work - and it is well worth a watch.

The first thirty minutes or so of Wake Of The Red Witch has so many characters, and it's so hard to figure out what's happening, it may remind you of The Big Sleep. After two lengthy flashback sequences, told by two different characters, the waters of the plot were a little less muddy. Unfortunately, at that point the story slowed down and sagged a little. Nevertheless, this is a very exotic (as in strangely but appealingly different) and entertaining movie and a different direction for John Wayne, who plays one of the most sinister and cruelest characters of his career.

Republic Pictures was a studio with a reputation for making movies on the cheap without the final product looking cheap. Most of their output were programmers, but they liked to turn out one or two "quality productions" per year. It looks as if Wake Of The Red Witch with a budget of over $1,200,000 was the quality of 1948. The movie premiered in Houston, Texas in late 1948 but did not get a general release until March 1949, which probably indicates some re-editing and perhaps new scenes. It has a terrific cast, headed by Wayne and Gail Russell, excellently supported by Gig Young, Adelle Mara, Luther Adler, Henry Daniel, Eduard Franz, Paul Fix, and Grant Withers. Edward Ludwig's direction is sharp, especially considering the complex script handed him by screen writers Harry Brown and Kenneth Gamet. Cinematography by Reggie Lanning is up to the best standards of beautiful back and white era. Though there is some obvious back projection in places, the South Sea sets by John McCarthy, Jr. and George Milo are lush and convincing, and stock footage from other movies (one of Republic's favorite cost-cutters) is blended in flawlessly. On the other hand the fluid editing we take for granted in pictures from the 'forties is spoiled by too many abrupt, blackout scene changes. This may point to some radical re-editing between the premiere and the general release three months later.

Set in the 1860's Dutch East Indies and surrounding area, the story revolves around a bitter but respectful rivalry between sea captain Wayne and ship owner Adler. These two strong, morally challenged men are locked in a long-standing mutual hatred. But each grudging admires the other as the most ruthless and competent man he knows. Their rivalry eventually becomes the sole reason each has for living.

Wayne was coming off the release of the highly successful Red River, which had actually been filmed two years earlier, when Wake Of The Red Witch was made. There was a little of Tom Dunson, the cruel, tyrannical rancher he played in Red River in practically every movie John Wayne subsequently made. There is a lot of Dunson in his Captain Ralls in Wake Of The Red Witch. He is Dunson magnified. Wayne and Adler's intense character studies are what makes this movie really worth watching. As for the rest of the cast .... judging by this picture, it would seem that Gail Russel, in addition to wrecking her career with booze, just wasn't really much of an actress. Adele Mara should have had the female lead instead of the second lead. And Gig Young should have kept the mustache.

Wake Of The Red Witch is one of John Wayne's best performances, an entertaining, action-packed, and mysterious picture.